Letter: DFL’s TV ad misleads on Mills

Today’s DFL isn’t Hubert Humphrey’s party anymore. Today’s Democratic Party was taken over by front groups that specialize in smear campaigns. The Stewart Mills vs. Rick Nolan race for the 8th District U.S. House seat is proof of that.

About two weeks ago, the House Majority PAC ran a TV ad that featured Stewart Mills saying, “Folks saying that ‘the wealthy, the wealthy are not paying their fair share…the 2 percent, the 1 percent, whatever percent you want … is personally offensive.”

The DFL and TakeAction Minnesota don’t want people to know that Mills didn’t make that statement. Ten words of that fictional statement came from a statement about the 2012 election. Ten words came from a paragraph talking about the lagging Iron Range economy. The final words come from Mills saying he’s “personally offended” that people think he isn’t paying taxes.

The Mills campaign got the ad pulled from KSTP and WDIO TV stations by highlighting the defamatory nature of the ad.

TakeAction Minnesota sent out a fundraising e-letter saying, “The ad was edited to fit a standard TV time slot, not to change the content of Mills’ positions.”

Rather than admit wrongdoing, TakeAction Minnesota asked the media to investigate Stanley Hubbard because he owns WDIO and KSTP.

This wouldn’t be tolerated in Humphrey’s party. Hardball politics were acceptable. Smear campaign built on fictional statements wouldn’t be tolerated.

Unfortunately, they’re not only tolerated today. They’re encouraged.

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